Recommended Light Levels

Recommended Light Levels (Illuminance)

for Outdoor and Indoor Venues

This is an instructor resource with information to be provided to students as the instructor sees fit.
Light Level or Illuminance, is the amount of light measured in a plane surface (or the total luminous
flux incident on a surface, per unit area). The work plane is where the most important tasks in the
room or space are performed.
Measuring Units of Light Level - Illuminance
Illuminance is measured in foot candles (ftcd, fc, fcd) or lux (in the metric SI system). A foot candle
is actually one lumen of light density per square foot; one lux is one lumen per square meter.
• 1 lux = 1 lumen / sq meter = 0.0001 phot = 0.0929 foot candle (ftcd, fcd)
• 1 phot = 1 lumen / sq centimeter = 10000 lumens / sq meter = 10000 lux
• 1 foot candle (ftcd, fcd) = 1 lumen / sq ft = 10.752 lux

Common Light Levels Outdoors from Natural Sources

Common light levels outdoor at day and night can be found in the table below:

Illumination
Condition
(ftcd) (lux)
Sunlight 10,000 107,527
Full Daylight 1,000 10,752
Overcast Day 100 1,075
Very Dark Day 10 107
Twilight 1 10.8
Deep Twilight .1 1.08
Full Moon .01 .108
Quarter Moon .001 .0108
Starlight .0001 .0011
Overcast Night .00001 .0001

Common Light Levels Outdoors from Manufactured Sources

The nomenclature for most of the types of areas listed in the table below can be found in the City of
Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, Bureau of Street Lighting’s “DESIGN STANDARDS
AND GUIDELINES” at the URL address under References at the end of this document.

 
 Recommended Light Levels

 
 Recommended Light Levels
Common and Recommended Light Levels Indoors

The outdoor light level is approximately 10,000 lux on a clear day. In the building, in the area
closest to windows, the light level may be reduced to approximately 1,000 lux. In the middle area its
may be as low as 25 - 50 lux. Additional lighting equipment is often necessary to compensate the
low levels.

Earlier it was common with light levels in the range 100 - 300 lux for normal activities. Today the
light level is more common in the range 500 - 1000 lux - depending on activity. For precision and
detailed works, the light level may even approach 1500 - 2000 lux.

The table below is a guide for recommended light level in different workspaces:

Illumination
Activity
(lux, lumen/m2)
Public areas with dark surroundings 20 - 50
Simple orientation for short visits 50 - 100
Working areas where visual tasks are only occasionally performed 100 - 150
Warehouses, Homes, Theaters, Archives 150
Easy Office Work, Classes 250
Normal Office Work, PC Work, Study Library, Groceries, Show Rooms,
500
Laboratories
Supermarkets, Mechanical Workshops, Office Landscapes 750
Normal Drawing Work, Detailed Mechanical Workshops, Operation
1,000
Theatres
Detailed Drawing Work, Very Detailed Mechanical Works 1500 - 2000
Performance of visual tasks of low contrast and very small size for
2000 - 5000
prolonged periods of time
Performance of very prolonged and exacting visual tasks 5000 - 10000
Performance of very special visual tasks of extremely low contrast and
10000 - 20000
small size

Generally, factors that affect the effectiveness of illumination are quantity and quality of light,
amount of flicker, amount of glare, contrast and shadows. Each factor must be adjusted differently
to optimize illumination in emergency, safety, operations, and security situations, for instance.
Lighting Standards also serve to address the plethora of other concerns associated with the design,
placement, installation, and minimum energy requirements and efficient allocation of illumination
in different locations with different purposes, as well as the efficiency, durability, cost, and
maintainability.

 
 Recommended Light Levels
Additional Recommended Light Levels Indoors

Office Space
Normal work station space, open or closed offices1 500
ADP Areas 500
Conference Rooms 300
Training Rooms 500
Internal Corridors 200
Auditoria 150-200
Public Areas
Entrance Lobbies, Atria 200
Elevator Lobbies, Public Corridors 200
Ped. Tunnels and Bridges 200
Stairwells 200
Support Spaces
Toilets 200
Staff Locker Rooms 200
Storage Rooms, Janitors’ Closets 200
Electrical Rooms, Generator Rooms 200
Mechanical Rooms 200
Communications Rooms 200
Maintenance Shops 200
Loading Docks 200
Trash Rooms 200
Specialty Areas
Dining Areas 150-200
Kitchens 500
Outleased Space 500
Physical Fitness Space 500
Child Care Centers 500
Structured Parking, General Space 50
Structured Parking, Intersections 100
Structured Parking, Entrances 500

 
 Recommended Light Levels
Calculating Illumination

Illumination can be calculated as

I = Ll Cu LLF / Al (1)

where

I = illumination (lux, lumen/m2)

Ll = lumens per lamp (lumen)
Cu = coefficient of utilization
LLF = light loss factor
Al = area per lamp (m2)

Example - Illumination

10 incandencent lamps of 500 W (10600 lumens per lamp) are used in an area of 50 m2. With Cu =
0.6 and LLF = 0.8 illumination can be calculated as

I = 10 (10600 lumens) (0.6) (0.8) / (50 m2)

= 1018 lux
 

References

1) http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/light-level-rooms-d_708.html
2) http://www.illumenate.com/lightlevels.htm  
3)  http://bsl.lacity.org/downloads/business/BSLDesignStandardsAndGuidelines0507Web.pdf
4) http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101308
5) http://www.ncef.org/pubs/lighting.pdf

The last reference was not quoted above but is very worth reviewing. It specifies lighting sources
for schools, which in most cases is where students will take their measurements for the Safety
activity. The table on its page 3 is a guide for choosing electric lighting systems for school
applications. Note that mean lumens per watt is the measure of the energy efficiency of the lamp
system, much the way miles per gallon measures the energy efficiency of an automobile. And a
luminaire is the proper term for a lighting fixture.